Open staircases are well known in the art. They typically are constructed to provide a sense of space and of freedom. Often there are no risers, or the risers are shortened in height, so you can see through the staircase to what is beyond. Typically, the treads are fixed between two stringers which may include cuts to form flat surfaces on which the treads can sit. Where stringers are uncut, an additional component typically is provided to the stringer to provide the flat surface on which the tread can sit. Alternatively, the stringers can form side walls which the treads span, and to which the opposing side edges of the treads are connected. In a variation on an open staircase, a side edge of a tread may be cantilevered from a single stringer or a wall. These are known as floating staircases.